What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do at Starbridge?

Forward Deployed Engineers at Starbridge are embedded directly with enterprise customers to implement and customize the platform, build integrations, and solve technical problems in real-world client environments. They combine software engineering skills with direct customer interaction, writing production code while also serving as the primary technical point of contact.

What skills are required for this Founding Forward Deployed Engineer & Tech Lead role?

The Founding Forward Deployed Engineer & Tech Lead role at Starbridge typically requires strong software engineering skills (Python, TypeScript, SQL), experience with APIs and system integration, comfort with cloud platforms, and the ability to communicate complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders. Most FDE roles require 3-7 years of engineering experience.

Is this Forward Deployed Engineer position at Starbridge remote?

Remote availability varies by Starbridge FDE role. Some positions are fully remote, others require travel to customer sites, and some are hybrid. Check the full job description above for the specific location requirements for this posting.

Starbridge

Founding Forward Deployed Engineer & Tech Lead

$200K - $300K New York, NY, US Senior Posted May 25, 2026

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Role Description

About the role ------------------

This is the founding Forward Deployed Engineer and Tech Lead seat at Starbridge. You will define what the FDE practice looks like at the company. There is no playbook to execute yet; you write it.

You will be paired with a Deployment Strategist who owns the institutional customer relationship. You focus on shipping production software: data pipelines, integrations, and the custom application layer built on top of the customer's existing data infrastructure.

Our first engagement is with a major public higher education institution with real scope, real budget, and a multi-million dollar P&L. The technical DNA you build into this first engagement becomes the substrate that compounds across every engagement Starbridge runs next.

What You'll Do

Own end-to-end technical execution: data pipelines, integrations, and the custom application layer on top of existing data infrastructure
Make independent technical calls without waiting for committees, and recover quickly when one turns out wrong
Partner with a Deployment Strategist who owns the customer relationship
Set the technical bar for every future Starbridge FDE engagement

Why You'll Love This Role

Qualifications

2-5 years of software engineering experience
Demonstrated experience building data pipelines and integrations on top of existing data infrastructure
4 days a week onsite at our NYC office
Ability to travel to customer sites roughly once a week

Interview Process ---------------------

We move fast — really fast. Getting back to someone today beats tomorrow, and our interview process reflects that mindset. Please keep us posted on your timeline so we can move quickly and speed things up where needed. All interviews are conducted via Google Meet.

How We Work

Build Bridges to Help Customers Win - We pride ourselves on being obsessively customer-centric.
Shooting Star Speed - We move with extreme speed. We value momentum, decisiveness, and the ability to accelerate when it matters.
Fun Is a Feature - Fun is a Feature means we intentionally design Starbridge to be an energizing place to do hard work. Joy, humor, and camaraderie make great teams faster, sharper, and more resilient.
In the Arena - We believe the best ideas come from living close to the work, feeling the friction, hearing the nuance, and experiencing the details firsthand.

Benefits include: ---------------------

Competitive salary + early-stage equity
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
Company provided lunch in office everyday
75% coverage of Chelsea Piers Fitness membership
Unlimited PTO
Regular offsites (NYC + global locations)

Compensation Range: $200K - $300K

About Forward Deployed Engineering

Forward Deployed Engineers are embedded directly with customers to build custom solutions, integrate products into existing infrastructure, and bridge the gap between product engineering and customer success. The role combines deep technical skills with the ability to operate in client environments and translate business requirements into working software.

Originally pioneered by Palantir, the FDE model has spread across AI, enterprise SaaS, and cloud infrastructure companies. FDEs write production code, architect integrations, train customer teams, and feed product insights back to the core engineering organization. At companies like OpenAI, Salesforce, and Databricks, FDE teams are treated as elite engineering units that can ship custom solutions in days rather than quarters.

Typical FDE stack: Python, TypeScript, SQL, REST/GraphQL APIs, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure), and increasingly LLM APIs and AI orchestration frameworks. Strong communication and the ability to context-switch between technical and business conversations are as important as coding ability.